US Postal Service strives to reduce environmental footprint
Welcome to the hot, sometimes hazy and often humid days of summer. Summer is a great time to appreciate things that make a big difference in sustaining the world we live in. The U.S. Postal Service demonstrates our commitment to sustainability in many ways. Reducing our carbon footprint, recycling plastic in our mail processing facilities and celebrating the great outdoors are just a few.
Walking the walk
Letter carriers are taught to be safe while delivering mail in all types of weather. But did you know that their steps help reduce our carbon footprint? Carriers average 4 to 8 miles on walking routes every day while toting a full load of letters and packages. More than 6,800 postal routes are delivered primarily on foot. Delivering mail on foot dramatically reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Regardless of the heat or rain, our carriers handle and deliver your mail safely and efficiently. We love ’em and hope you do, too!
Plastic free
Summer is a great time to look at how much plastic is used, and wasted, in the world around us. Millions of people have taken the initiative to reduce their plastic consumption by refusing single-use plastics and by recycling. The Postal Service recycled more than 5,700 tons of plastic in 2020 and uses its unique transportation network to backhaul recyclables from smaller Post Offices to larger hub plants (no additional transportation required) and then consolidates recyclables, allowing us to optimize revenue.
Heliophysics
Have you seen our new Sun Science stamps? Celebrating the science behind the ongoing exploration of our nearest star, the pane of 20 Forever stamps features 10 stunning images of the sun captured by the special imaging equipment of NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, a spacecraft studying the sun from geosynchronous orbit above Earth. The sun is also important to our health. A little exposure can be helpful for vitamin D, but sunscreen to protect against UV rays helps make outdoor activity “sustainable,” too. The stamps are available at most Post Offices and usps.com.
Sustainability report
Our Annual Sustainability Report — available exclusively online as we limit its publishing footprint to cyberspace — details our efforts to deliver your mail and packages in an environmentally responsible way. We like to be good corporate citizens throughout the process.
The Postal Service wishes all of our customers and employees a safe, healthy and sustainable summer. For more information on what the Postal Service is doing in environmental stewardship, please visit usps.com/green.
The USPS Sustainability website has additional information about the Postal Service’s sustainability efforts.